Stage apparatus for boats or vessels



A 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. H. THROOP.

Patented Mar. 8, 1896.

1 36 151: LEAH/E .T/zroo a STAGE APPARATUS FOR BOATS 0R V ESSELS.

(No Model.)

Wiigzss I M/. aid/W4 @y M 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(N0 Model.) I

. J. H. THROOP.

STAGE APPARATUS FOR BOATS 0R VESSEIS. No. 555,542. Patented Mar. 3,1896.

(No Model.) I s Sheets-Sheet a. J. H. THROOP. STAGE APPARATUS FOR BOATS0R VESSELS.

Patented Mar. 3, 1896.-

CSSCS Wilr UNITED STATES FFrcE.

JOHN HAMILTON THROOP, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,542, dated March 3,1896. Applicationfiled November 13, 1894. Serial No. 528,663. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN HAMILTON THROOP, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Evansville, in the county of Vanderburg and State ofIndiana, have invented a new and useful Stage Apparatus for Boats orVessels, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to stage apparatus for boats and vessels, andparticularly for river steamboats.

To this end the main and primary object of the present invention is toprovide a new and useful apparatus of this character for shifting theheavy staging or platforms such as are ordinarily employed fortransferring freight and passengers to and from steamboats and othervessels, and particularly to provide an apparatus that will be strong,comparatively light, and easily handled.

Furthermore, the invention contemplates a construction of stage-handlingapparatus for boats and vessels that will dispense with the use of theheavy wooden apparatus that has heretofore been used and at the sametime will provide simple and efficient means for quickly and easilyraising and lowering the staging, and also to make provision forautomatically returning the staging forward over the forward deck of theboat or vessel when the same has been hoisted up from the wharf or bankwhere a landing has been made.

With-these and other objects in view, which will readily appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in thenovel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the herein-describedstaging apparatus shown applied to an ordinary river steamboat of thattype commonly used on southern and western rivers. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the hanger forthe stage or platform. Fig. 4c is a detail sectional view on the line 00a: of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the connection of theadjustable guy-rods with the swinging boom. Fig. 6 is a side elevationof a modified form of the apparatus, showing the substitution of aswinging wooden boom for the tubular metal boom. Fig. 7 is a similarview showing the employment of an extra guide-wheel for thehoistingcable to multiply the lifting power of the apparatus. Referringto the accompanying drawings, 1 designates an upright tubular mastprefer ably consisting of suitable lengths of pipe securely jointedtogether to provide the proper length of mast that is adapted to bearranged at the forward end of an ordinary boat or vessel, such asillustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and when adapted for use inconnection with an ordinary river steamboat said mast extends above thehurricane-deck of the boat to provide for properly handling the heavystage or platform without at all interfering with the other workings ofthe boat.

The upright tubular mast 1 is seated atits lower end in a base-plate 2,that issecured to the working deck of the boat or vessel, and the upperend of the mast has fitted thereto the socket-cap 3, that is adapted toreceive the lower end of a flag-pole at, which may be thus convenientlyplaced at the forward end of the boat or vessel. The said mast hassecurely clamped on the upper end thereof, directly below the socket-cap3, the sectional collar-casting 5, provided at its front sides with theparallel bracket-plates 6, and at other points with thevertically-disposed flanges 7, to which are pivotally bolted theconnectingloops 8, which have connected thereto the upper ends of thediagonal guy-rods 9, that extend to suitable points of the boat orvessel, where they are securely fastened for the purpose of firmlybracing and strengthening the upper end of the mast. lower end the saidmast has securely clamped thereon a sectional collar-casting 10, similarin construction to the casting 5 and providing means for strengtheningthe mast at that particular point, and wherever the tubular mast isjointed similar castings to the castings 5 and 10 are placed tostrengthen the same. At a point intermediate of its ends the tubularmast 1 has securely clamped thereto the collar-casting 11, that isprovided at its front side with the parallel bracket-plates 12, betweenwhich plates is pivoted on the verticallydisposed pivot-pin 13 thebifurcated swivel-plate 14, in the bifurcation of which is pivoted, onthe pivot 15, the inner end of the swinging tubular boom 16. Theswinging At a point near its tubular boom 16 consists of a suitablelength of pipe capable of withstanding the heavy work and weight placedon the same, while at the same time being sufiiciently light so as to beeasily handled.

The swinging tubular boom 16 has securely fitted to both its outer andinner ends the longitudinally-slotted sheave-castings 17, within whichare journaled the end wheels or pulleys 18, over which passes the wirehoisting-cable 19, that is employed in raising and lowering the stage orplatform. The said boom 16 is longitudinally strengthened throughout itsentire length by a series of bowed truss-rods 20, that are securelyconnected at their opposite ends to the end collars 21, located at theextremities of the boom, and are held taut away from and surrounding theboom by means of the circularly-grooped radial bracearms The radialbrace-arms 22 of each circular group are of the same length, and areprovided at their outer ends with the rod'eyes 23, through which passthe truss-rods 20, and the inner ends of said arms 22 are fitted intothe radially-disposed sockets 21 of the collars 95, that are tightlyfitted 011 the boom at regularly-spaced points.

The radially-disposed brace-arms 22, which are grouped in circularseries on the spacecollars, regularly decrease in length toward the endsof the boom, in order to maintain the truss-rods 2O properly bowed awayfrom the boom, whereby the greatest possible trussin g or strengtheningof the said boom may be secured, and the said truss-rods 20 are providedat suitable points with the ordinary adjusting swivels or turnbuckles26, which provide means for tightening the truss-rods to keep the sameproperly stretched. Near its outer end and at regularly-spaced pointstoward the inner end the said tubular boom 16 has clamped thereon thesectional attaching-bands 27, to opposite sides of which are connectedthe terminals of the guy slings or loops 28, to which are connected oneend of the adjustable boom-supporting guy-rods 29, which are connectedat their other ends to the pivoted clevis 30, which is pivotally mountedbetween the parallel bracket-plates 6 at the upper end of the mast onthe vertical clevis-pin 31.

The boom-supporting guy-rods 29 serve to support the 'boom 16 at anydesired angle, and at this point attention is directed to the fact thatwhen used in connection with riversteamboats such as illustrated in thedrawings the swinging boom is pivotallyconnected with the mast at apoint above the hurricanedeck, and therefore above the electric lightand all other \vorkin g parts of the boat, with the operation of whichlow booms always soriously interfere.

By reason of the specific connection of the inclined swinging boom withthe mast it will be obvious that the said boom can be easily swung atdirect right angles to the mast at either side of the boat, and thevertically-disposed pivot-pin 13 for the inner end of the boom is out ofvertical alignment with the vertical clcvis-pin 31, which pivotallyconnects the boom-supporting guy-rods with the upper end of the mast,and said pin 13 is nearer to the mast 1 than the pin 31, therebyproviding an arrangement which admits the swinging of the boom to eitherside of the vessel with safety, while at the same time with comparativeease, and also provides means for automatically returning the swingingboom back over the forward part of the vessel in front of the mast whenreleased, as will be obvious.

The wire hoisting-"cable 19 is arranged to have the inner portionthereof which passes over the innermost wheel 18 to pass through theguide-pulley 32 that is attached to the mast 1 by the strap 33, andthence to the usual steam hoisting device with which boats and vesselsrequiring staging apparatus are provided. The outer extremity of thecable 19 is permanently attached to the attaching collar 34 at the outerend of the boom 16, and the portion of the cable between the collar 34:and the outermost wheel 18 passes around and supports the hoisting wheelor pulley 35. The hoisting wheel or pulley 35 is journaled in a skeletonsheaveframe 36, mounted centrally on a hanger-bar 37, and firmly bracedto such bar 37 by the diagonal side bracerods 38. The hanger-bar37 ismade of angle or other suitable shaped iron and has loosely connected tothe opposite ends thereof the upper ends of the hanger-wires 39, thelower ends of which are loosely connected with the triangularoffstanding brackets 40, secured to the opposite sides of the ordinarystage or platform -11 employed in connection with a boat or othervessel.

To employ the herein-described apparatus, it is simply necessary for thestage or platform to be lowered by means of the single cable 15) andthen swung around over the side of the boat or vessel where the landingis made. \Vhen the transfer of passengers or freight over the stage orplatform has been made, the same is hoisted up to the desired height,and as the said stage or platform is being hoisted the disposition ofthe pivots 13 and 31 will cause the boom to swing automatically to itsinoperative position over the forward deck of the vessel, and therapidity of this automatic swing of the boom maybe regulated accordingto the distance of the elevis pin or pivot 31 from the front side of themast.

Changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of constructionmay be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificingany of the advantages of this invention, and at this point attention isdirected to the modifications of the apparatus shown in Figs. 6 and 7 ofthe drawings.

In Fig. (3 of the drawings is illustrated a form of the apparatus inwhich a swinging wooden boom 16 is substituted for the tubular metalboom 16 herein described. In some cases the wooden boom would bepreferable to the metal boom, especially where it is only necessary tomodify an ordinary wooden boom that has been in use to adapt the samefor use in connection with the herein-described apparatus, and in theuse of the wooden boom in place of the metal boom the only materialmodification to be noted is that with the wooden boom the truss-rods 20and the braces therefor are dispensed with as being unnecessary, but allother parts of the apparatus herein described, excepting the partsreferred to, are used in connection with the wooden boom.

As a further modification in connection with the wooden-boom form of theapparatus, it is to be noted that the number of wheels around which thehoisting-cable is reeved may be varied,aud, as illustrated in Fig, 7 ofthe drawings, an extra guide wheel or pulley 42 may be mounted on thewooden boom near the outer end wheel or pulley 18, and in thismodification the outermost portion of the hoistingcable is reeved aroundthe top portion of the outermost wheel 18, and is made fast to theskeleton sheave-frame 36 for the wheel or pulley 35, mounted on thehanger-bar 37, for the stage or platform. It will be obvious that inthis arrangement of the wheels or pulleys for the hoisting-cable thelifting capacity of the apparatus will be greatly increased.

Whether the apparatus employs a metal or a wooden boom, particularemphasis is to be laid upon the location of this boom with respect tothe hurricane-deck of the boat or vessel. By reason of connecting theboom to the mast above the hurricane-deck of the boat or vessel the boomwill be entirely out of the way of all working parts of such boat orvessel, alarger stage or platform can be used than has heretofore beenpossible, and such stage or platform can be hoisted much higher and moreout of the way than heretofore, and other advantages in this connectionwill readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired tobesecured by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a stage apparatus of the classdescribed, an upright mast, collar castings clamped to the mastrespectively at a point intermediate of the ends thereof and at itsupper end and provided at their front sides with parallelbracket-plates, a swivel-plate pivotally mounted between thebracket-plates of the intermediate casting, an inclined swinging boompivotally connected at its inner end to said swivel-plate, a pivotedclevis mounted between the bracket-plates of the upper casting andthepivot of which is disposedout of vertical alignment with the pivot ofsaid swivel-plate, an adjustable boom-supporting guy-rod secured at oneend to the boom and at the other end to said pivoted clevis, and thehoist for the stage, substantially as set forth.

2. In a stage apparatus of the class described, the upright tubular mastprovided with collar-castings respectively at a point intermediate ofboth ends and near its upper end, an inclined swinging tubular boomswiveled at its inner end to the intermediate collar-casting andprovided at its outer and inner ends with end wheels or pulleys, guyslings or loops connected at their terminals to opposite sides of theboom at spaced points, a clevis pivotally connected to the uppercollar-casting of the mast, a series of adjustable boom-supportingguy-rods connected at one end to said guy slings or loops and at theirother ends to said pivoted clevis, the single hoisting-cable arrangedover said wheels or pulleys, and the stage-hanger connected with saidcable, substantially as set forth.

3. In a stage apparatus for boats and vessels, the upright tubular mast,the inclined tubular swinging boom swiveled at its inner end to the mastand provided at its opposite ends with longitudinally-slottedsheave-castin gs having end collars, end wheels j ournaled in the slotsof said castings, a series of regularly-spaced collars fitted atintervals on the boom and provided with a circular group ofradially-disposed brace-arms having eyes at their outer ends, a seriesof longitudinal bowed truss-rods secured at their ends to the endcollars of said castings and passed through the terminal eyes of saidbrace-arms, a series of guy-rods attached at one end to the boom andsuitably connected with the mast near its upper end, the hoisting-cable,and the stagehanger suspended by said cable, substantially as set forth.

4. In a stage apparatus of the class described, the upright mast, aswinging boom pivotally connected to the mast, end wheels or pulleysjournaled at the extremities of said boom, a single hoisting-cablearranged over said end wheels or pulleys and secured fast at its outerextremity to the outer end of the boom, a hanger-bar provided at anintermediate point with a braced skeleton sheaveframe, a hoisting wheelor pulley journaled in said sheave-frame and receiving therearound theouter portion of said hoisting-cable, the stage or platform, offstandingbrackets secured to opposite sides of said stage or platform, andhanger-wires loosely connected at their lower ends to said brackets andat their upper ends to opposite ends of said hangerbar, substantially asset forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN HAMILTON THROOP.

Vtitnesses:

GEO. S. THROOP, JAMES HOWARD, Jr.

IIO

